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Tocathianismo
Tocathianismo é a religião proeminente de Gehenna, e é seguido pela maioria das tribos em algum nível. É o relacionamento simbiótico (ou, de certa forma, parasita) entre o continente e os espíritos que foram afetados pela Guerra Divina. Os sacerdotes do Tocathianismo são os Dríades, uma sub-raça de Gehennianos que juntaram seus espíritos à natureza. Dríades normalmente servem às tribos como seus xamãs, comunicando-se com os espíritos, supervisionando sacrifícios e oferecendo conhecimento para o futuro, como de futuras inundações ou outros desastres naturais. Mitologia Mito da Criação Em primeiro lugar, existia o Caos. Eternia não tinha forma, uma massa móvel de terra, oceanos e céus, interligando-se sem ordem ao movimento da matéria. Os espíritos se uniram no vazio negro do além, observando o que acontecia como um escultor olha para a argila sem forma. Jiuweihu proveu luz para cada um deles, as suas nove caudas douradas radiantes na escuridão. Jormungand, a grande serpente da água, circulava os outros, esperando ansiosamente. Cada espírito tentou fazer formas da terra, e um por um, eles falharam. As terras formadas instantaneamente caíram em pedaços e flutuaram à deriva através das águas e dos céus. Quetzalcoatl eventualmente tomou a frente de seus irmãos e irmãs, estendendo suas asas penadas, e começou a falar. "Eu tenho um plano", disse Quetzalcoatl. "Não podemos forçar o Caos. Devemos enganá-lo." Os espíritos encarregados da criação conjuraram a pedra que viraria a lua. A grande pantera espiritual, Ixchel, então penetrou suas garras de pura treva na pedra disforme, desbastando-a. A forma da lua então virou um círculo uniformemente perfeito, desafiando a desordem abaixo. Dedicados a cair na isca, o Caos deixou o mundo e rumou para cima, ansioso por destruir o trabalho dos espíritos, apenas para ser preso dentro da pedra. E foi assim que a rocha pesada fechou-se ao redor do Caos, selando-o dentro. Logo antes de se fechar completamente, os espíritos divinos ouviram um som. Era o Caos, provocando-os de dentro dos mais profundos confins da lua. "Quando eu retornar, essa ordem temporária que vocês tanto se apegam irá acabar! Eu já me enraizei nos corações do seu mais amado, aquele que irão conhecer como O Traidor. Eu sou o fim, e tudo que podem fazer é prolongar-me!" Irritado pela provocação, Quetzalcoatl voou em frente e emitiu uma ventania que iria ecoar pelos oceanos que logo se formariam por toda a eternidade. A força empurrou a lua mais acima, em direção ao vazio, girando em uma linha, se movendo para fora e de volta para dentro. Ela circula o mundo até esse dia. Com o Caos sob controle, os espíritos desceram à terra para finalmente lhe dar forma. Quetzalcoatl teve a tarefa mais difícil. Com seus ventos divinos, eles refinaram cada pedaço de terra, oceano e até mesmo as plantas, para ter certeza que não iriam cair tão facilmente na influência do caos como uma vez já havia acontecido. Exausto, assim que seu trabalho estava completo, Quetzalcoatl foi ao continente de Gehenna para se deliciar nos atos primais. Os Três Senhores da Guerra (245AC) And so it was that the world dawned. Gehennans lived at peace with the wilds, enjoying the plentiful game, the clear and sweet water of the mountain streams, and the fruit that grew freely. Several tribes turned into dozens over the centuries, and the population continued to grow. Honourable conflict, war, was celebrated as the means by which a tribe may prove its strength and gain territory. And so it was that all Gehennans prospered as a people. At the time, three Great Warlords dominated the region: Citlali of the Cruxati, Netehl of the Kendol, and Menes of the Chimalli. This was before the Divine Wars. One spring, an otherworldly, cloaked figure appeared to each Warlord one by one. He said, "By winter come, you'll join me in a great song of blood and fire. You'll fight for me, and you'll die for me. And you'll rise from the grave to fight again. But do not worry, you'll find peace when the melody of war ends and a much more pleasant tune takes its place. Be immortalized at my side, and never know the pains of your frailty again." One by one, each Warlord objected, rejecting the visitor in true Gehennan style - each through attempting to defeat this visitor in armed combat. However, at the slightest touch of the visitor's hand, each mighty warlord's body disobeyed their will. Each warlord's body moved of its own accord, before finally coming to kneel. Their spirits resisted, but their body could not. "You're already dead," the silver eyed figure declared, before leaving. Spring passed, then summer, and finally even autumn neared an end. Winter had arrived and each of the warlords' flesh had rotted away, flesh decaying and peeling off of the bone. All three met at the start of winter once rumors of their condition reached each other. They gathered in the Tower of Skulls, where renowned tribesman were buried. "Disturbing. For the first time, my enemies are right before me and yet my fingers have no desire to reach for my spear," Netelh began, displeased. "Your fingers should be thankful. They'd fall to the ground along with the rest of the hand before ever touching your weapon's hilt," Citlali was quick to reply, a content, relaxed smile to his lips. Netelh almost took her spear and drove it through the man's chest. And then Menes spoke. "Enough," Menes said. "We're not here to dispute strength, that can be settled another time. We rot, and we know why. The one with silver eyes visited us." That morning, the three discussed what it meant and what they intended to do. Netelh wished for the three of them to announce their condition to their respective tribes and stand down as Warlords. Citlali did not find the situation a curse: his body no longer required sustenance, he was more durable in battle. He posited, if the cloaked one could so easily defeat them, perhaps he was to be followed? Menes quietly observed, finding neither viewpoint appealing. "I want it back," Menes said. "The rush of blood while hunting, the sting of pain when I'm slower than my enemy and my flesh reminds me, pushing me further. This numbness... It's undesirable." Despite their own initial thought, the other two realized Menes was right. Despite the Three Warlords being fierce rivals, they knew in their souls that they had to reverse the situation. Netelh had an idea. "Ixchel, the Shadow of the Jungle. How many warriors have we collectively lost hunting the panther? I have something to share with the two of you: I was a part of one such attempt in the past. Ixchel, after tearing apart much of our group, stared into my eyes and I couldn't help but look away. I was unable to meet its glare with my own. Ixchel spared my life and told me that in exchange I should rise to take Kendol as my own and forbid my people from hunting them. I did so. And so I know where Ixchel lurks..." It was suicidal, but they didn't have many options left. Ixchel was revered throughout the lands as a great spirit, the Avatar of the Moon. They were a formidable force, only rivaled by Quetzalcoatl, the Master of Serpents. But there was a legend: that he who slew Ixchel and wore the great panther's pelt would ascend to godhood. They found the great panther in the swampland, sipping on the river's stream. Citlali attacked from above, casting a magical net that expanded and turned to heavy metal, catching Ixchel off guard. Netelh followed, landing a clean blow through the spirit's shoulder. It cried out in pain and it glared at her with the same striking yellow eyes she remembered from many years ago. "Foul human... You went back on your word." "I will not kill you yet," Netelh said, "But we needed to be in a position to bargain. If we only had words, would you listen? Look at us. We've been cursed. We want to know if there's a way to-" Before Netehl could finish her sentence, a strange shadowy mist radiated from Ixchel's fur and melted away the metal net. The black smoke was hotter than fire. "Kill me?! I am Ixchel. My paws are the night that carved the moon. And yet, you three managed to catch me by surprise. You knew to strike when the sun was high and the moon set when my eyes see all. Impressive, for a traitorous mongrel..." "Take my life. Ixchel, but stop the one with silver eyes. He has enslaved us and--" Ixchel cut Netelh off. "Azrael, oh how aware I am. The Betrayer has long fallen from grace and lurks these lands, gathering an army, making undead out of Gehennans of note while his minion Solas turns their followers into the ones with green-veins which bleed red, the Oscuri. You have been chosen to fight at his side. Yes, I will take your lives..." Citlali and Menes prepared for the worst, but they did not intend to go down without a fight. What happened next was unexpected. They felt their shadows moving beneath them, and when they looked down, their shadows resembled large cats. With all of their might, Ixchel let out a deafening roar that shook the trees around them. The Three Warlords felt the change, their flesh healing: what had rotted away returning to bone anew, but different. Each Warlord now had features that were like jaguars, though Netelh in particular had black panther-like ears rather than spotted orange ones. "Now you can fight again. Your lives are no longer your own, but mine. Spill the blood of those who would dare demand you kneel. Spill the blood of the damned, of The Betrayer's armies." Ixchel commanded. "A war comes, and the Naguals will lead humanity to victory. You are now the Shadows that dance when the Moon is high." Beginnings: The Sacrifice of Shaman Mezhual (350AC) Edit The religion of Tocath came to prominence during the third century, following the Battle of 'The Clash of Two Wills.' Much of Gehenna was war-struck and broken following the Divine Wars. Many of the spirits that roamed the lands had been warped by the Azraelites; from the elementals of the forest that kept the greenery strong and vibrant, to the sprites in the vast rivers. Unable to maintain their form and carry out their duties, these spirits became wraiths. Under the guidance of Quetzalcoatl, the Warlords were advised to tend to the corrupt spirits. Unable to purify their warped forms, little progress was made. The Great Tribes wasted years hunting and destroying where purification failed, but the spirits were renewed as twisted as before. And then news spread throughout the neighbouring tribes that the lands of Cruxati had been restored to fertility, in place of the black, harrowed foliage the rest of the continent suffered. The Shaman Mezhual had developed a means of offering life sustenance to the surrounding spirits, primarily the Spirit Tocatch. Tocatch was a strange thing resembling a bear with a rib cage down his front and large spines descending along his back. Shaman Mezhual produced a means of communicating with Tocath, and discovered that if Tocath was going to perform its duty in tending to the wilds around them, it needed not just mana, but stable mana. And so Shaman Mezhual offered the most valuable sustenance men possessed: the blood that flowed through their veins. Simple bloodletting wasn't enough, something of great value was needed, attachment and meaning having power when it comes to magic. Mezhual's only child volunteered, and, with tears staining his cheeks, the Shaman offered his boy. Thus begun the tradition of sacrifice within the continent of Gehenna, not as a means of appeasement to ward off vengeful gods, but to sustain the spirits that had fought alongside the Gehennans in the Divine Wars. It is a tradition of great honor: to be sacrificed is to ensure the next harvest is bountiful and to ward off the plaguelands that threaten to devour and warp the spirits of nature. Tocath is but one of many spirits that struggle to carry out their duty, looking to Gehennans for aid. The religion carries the name as a mark of respect for the first sacrifice, and the teachings of Shaman Mezhual. These valuable lessons would save many tribes throughout Gehenna. Shaman Mezhual went on to become chief of Tribe Teno and changed the name to Tribe Tocath. It became a Great Tribe and had over four million men and women under its protection. Their capital, the City of Tocath, was said to be so beautiful that Ixchel and Quetzalcoatl would not feud nearby out of fear of tarnishing the progress. It had monuments dedicated to the spirits that towered higher than most mountains. It was known as "The Southern Jewel". The city fell in the War of Wraiths where the Tribe Cruxati became the ruling power in the south. Other Mythos Edit * The Great Tribe Ueltz were jealous of the Great Tribe Tocath, contending with them in the south. Their Warlord Olca ordered many raids on tribes that would swear allegiance to Tribe Tocath, but were met with punishment each time. Warlord Olca slowly lost himself to insanity after suffering defeat after defeat, paranoid of younger warriors in his tribe that might see his weakness and usurp him. He demanded that the River Spirit Ninteohl grant their tribe passage through the barriers to colonize new lands. The River Spirit spoke to Olca, "That is not within my power, but I will bring you and your ship to the ocean above where the stars rest if you sacrifice a thousand enemies to me. The souls there are meek and defenseless." Ecstatic, it didn't take long for Olca to gather his offering, forcing many in his own tribe to offer themselves. One by one, the offerings empowered the River Spirit, and it fulfilled the warlord's request, hurling their ship up toward the sky, past the clouds and into the night. The screams of Olca and his men were heard throughout the south as they plunged down and cracked into the ocean. "Your ship cannot fly," the River Spirit said, "But it can drown. All things can drown." To this day, parents tell their children stories of the damp, rotting Olca, with his overflowing seaweed-green hair and wild eyes, who drags children into the water that play too closely to the ocean. Beliefs and Culture Edit * Men have a right to what they can defend. It's cowardly to take something from a man unless in single combat. * Only a powerful warrior can lead a tribe. * Your children will be born stillborn or corrupt if conceived through incest. Children born out of wedlock should not inherit belongings unless they prove themselves more capable than their siblings. * Your spirit will be tormented for an eternity if you fail to uphold a sworn oath. * Those who kneel must serve as slaves. A dignified warrior does not bow their head. They serve their superiors on the battlefield. * Sacrifice is an act of love and devotion. All things require sacrifice, and nothing is free. It's an honor for an enemy to die as a sacrifice rather than in battle. Tocathian Sacrifice Edit To offer sustenance to the spirit, the person must first know their runic symbol. This is typically acquired by a dryad, a tribe shaman, communicating with the spirit directly. The symbol is a gateway to the spirit's essence in the Spirit World, and is drawn onto the flesh of the persons to be sacrificed, typically on their forehead or chest. Soil from the spirit's domain in Gehenna is then scattered around the the sacrifice in a circle before their life is taken. Wisps of blue mana can be seen leaving the corpse and entering the Gehennan soil, providing energy to the patron spirit.